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The Latin American and Caribbean (LCR) region is facing situations of human mobility at an unprecedented scale, which is reshaping the socio-economic and political landscape of the region. Human mobility is not a new phenomenon for the region and for decades LCR has registered movement of people, predominantly because migration is one of the most effective ways to reduce poverty and boost shared prosperity.
LCR is the region where most people migrate internationally (WDR 2023). However, recent developments have intensified the flows in at least four instances. First, since its onset in 2015, the Venezuelan exodus is the second largest flow of vulnerable people in the world, only surpassed by the recent Ukrainian exodus. Over 7 million Venezuelans have fled their country since 2015, escaping the country's economic collapse and unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Chile are the countries with the highest inflows in the LCR region, and the magnitude and speed of the exodus are reshaping their socioeconomic outlook, including labor markets, access to services (particularly education), and social fabric. Second, in the case of Central America and Mexico, in addition to long-term established migration patterns, large situations of mixed migration have intensified with a changing profile of migrants increasingly involving vulnerable populations (i.e., returnees, refugees, asylum seekers, forcibly displaced, and unaccompanied minors).
Individuals from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and more recently Nicaragua, head North due to welfare differentials (including economic opportunities and living standards), violence, natural hazards and natural degradation (related to climate change) and family reunification.
Honduras stands out as both a major country of origin and one of the largest recipients of returnees in Latin America, receiving an average of 87,265 returnees per year between 2019 and 2024 according to official statistics. Women returnees represent a particularly vulnerable group, facing compounding barriers upon return: social stigma, psychological trauma (70% report anxiety and 50% depression), gender-based violence (GBV), high dependency ratios and lack of accessible care options.
The returnee reception and reintegration system in Honduras currently offers only short-term reception services, but there is not a systematic strategy, systems, or protocols for social and economic reintegration.
In response, the World Bank, through the Japanese Social Development Fund (JSDF), is supporting Honduras to strengthen reintegration services and systems in Honduras, building on existing data systems (Returnee Identification System, SIAMIR), the Returnee Attention Centers (CAMR), and Ciudad Mujer (one-stop shop for women services). The "Honduras: Vuelve y Crece" Project (P511732), a US2.73 million recipient executed grant will target 6,000 forcibly returned women through activities structured along three main components: (i) psychosocial support and reintegration services; (ii) vocational training and employability; (iii) institutional strengthening.
The World Bank's Social Policy team is also managing a 380,000 grant funded by PROBLUE trust fund to improve access to eco tourism and blue economy opportunities for Indigenous Peoples and Afro descendant (IP/AD) communities along Honduras' Caribbean coast, with a focus on inclusive participation, capacity building, and policy dialogue. Delivery is structured under the following three Components: Component 1: Developing a strategy to promote Indigenous and Afro-descendant participation in blue economy jobs, with a focus on eco-tourism and coastal-marine conservation; Component 2 - Capacity building, learning, and partnership; Component 3 - Technical assistance, sustainability and scaling.
Objectives of the Consultancy
The Social Policy Department (HLCSP) for the Latin America and the Caribbean region is responsible for: (i) undertaking social analysis during project preparation and implementation, to mainstream social development and inclusion issues throughout the Bank's work in the region; (ii) undertaking Advisory Services and Analytics; (iii) leading the preparation and supervision of operations that promotes inclusion of vulnerable groups including women and youth, and (iv) facilitating partnerships and dialogue with civil society through outreach and engagement.
The World Bank's Social Policy Global Department (under the People Vice Presidency) for the Latin America and the Caribbean Region is responsible for delivering an integrated agenda that brings together social development, social protection, labor market, and economic inclusion solutions to support countries in building more resilient, equitable, and inclusive societies.
The World Bank is looking for a consultant specialized on the social and economic inclusion of vulnerable populations including migrants, refugees, returnees, afro descendants, indigenous people, youth, and women. The consultant must have relevant policy experience in Honduras to (i) support the World Bank task team and counterparts in the preparation and early implementation of the JSDF Vuelve y Crece project, including sustaining policy dialogue with key government counterparts at the national and municipal level; (ii) provide technical inputs to help inform project design, such as detailed cost-benefit analysis for proposed project activities, assess implementation arrangements, coordinate relevant teams to ensure compliance with World Bank's procurement, financial, social and environmental standards and regulations; (iii) when requested, liaise with UN agencies, regional development banks, NGO and other development partners and establish operational partnerships for improved project delivery; and (iv) provide inputs to support resource mobilization efforts and actively help develop a pipeline portfolio of the WBG on migration and forced displacement in the region. The consultant will work in coordination and under the supervision of the World Bank's task team.
The consultant is also expected to support PROBLUE grant activities in Honduras, identifying linkage with the Vuelve y Crece project as well as with other active and pipeline projects in the country, supporting government engagement and overall activity implementation.
The ideal candidate should have at least 10 years of professional experience on social policy issues, good understanding of consular processes and the international legal frameworks that govern migration and protection issues, including the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, the Cartagena Declaration, the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM), and the MIRPS regional framework, and applied experience on supporting social and economic integration of vulnerable populations, including the extreme poor, disadvantaged youth, women, afro descendants, indigenous peoples, migrants and refugees. The consultant should have a good understanding of World Bank's operational procedures, systems, and portals, as well as excellent writing skills in English and Spanish, proven project management and M&E competencies, and fundraising or grant-writing skills.
Duties and Responsibilities
Project Preparation and Implementation Support
Serve as a technical specialist on migration, forced displacement, and protection issues, with a primary focus on the "Vuelve y Crece" project (P511732) in Honduras and, secondarily, on the broader Central America and Mexico sub-regional portfolio.
Support the World Bank task team in the preparation, appraisal, and early implementation of the Vuelve y Crece project, including supporting counterparts and reviewing technical documents, draft project operational manuals, implementation plans, and monitoring and evaluation frameworks aligned with the project's three components: (i) trauma-informed psychosocial support; (ii) demand-driven vocational training and employability; and (iii) institutional strengthening for returnee and IDP reintegration systems, including returnee and IDP reception and data management protocols for other operations in the Social Policy portfolio in Honduras.
Provide technical inputs throughout project implementation, ensuring that activities remain grounded in gender-sensitive, survivor-centered approaches that address the specific vulnerabilities of forcibly displaced and host women, including GBV, psychological trauma, high dependency ratios, and barriers to formal employment and entrepreneurship.
Conduct or contribute to a detailed cost-benefit analysis of proposed project activities, assess implementation arrangements, and coordinate with relevant World Bank teams to ensure compliance with the Bank's procurement, financial management, and Environmental and Social Standards (ESS).
Explore and propose mechanisms to facilitate the adoption of SAFE migration protocol recommendations by national migration and protection authorities in Honduras, building on complementary efforts under the MIRPS Action Plan for Honduras.
Support the implementation of the PROBLUE activity, in particular stakeholder coordination, output quality control, and provide advice and assistance to advance sustainability of select components, with aim of designing a project in the future.
Policy Dialogue and Government Engagement
Sustain technical policy dialogue with key government counterparts at the national and municipal level, including the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Secretariat oh Human Rights (SEDH), the Social Development Secretariat (SEDESOL), the National Institute for Migration, SEMUJER, SEFIN, SENAF, SESALUD, and municipal governments in the Sula Valley and other project implementation areas, in coordination with the task team leader.
Support the Government of Honduras in strengthening the operational capacity of Returnee Attention Centers (CAMR) and Ciudad Mujer as institutional anchors for service delivery under the project, building on the existing Returnee Identification System (SIAMIR) and promoting data-driven decision-making within the reintegration system.
Have an excellent understanding and ensure project alignment with relevant legislative and regulatory frameworks, including the Act for the Prevention of Internal Displacement (Decree No. 154-2022), the Act on Shelters for Women Survivors of Violence (Decree No. 28-2024), and the Law for the Protection of Women in Humanitarian Crises (Decree No. 9-2023), to ensure project activities are aligned with and contribute to the implementation of these frameworks.
For PROBLUE, liaise on a regular basis with local partners to ensure smooth, timely, and high-quality delivery of their responsibilities. This includes coordinating iterative reviews of diagnostic products, monitoring progress on consultations and workshops, supporting the co-creation of the IP/AD Blue Economy strategy development, and facilitating structure feedback loops between local partners and the World Bank team.
Stakeholder Coordination and Partnerships
Develop and maintain strong working relationships with key stakeholders including government agencies, civil society organizations, local universities and think tanks, private sector employers, business associations, and chambers, community-based organizations engaged in returnee reintegration in Honduras and Indigenous and Afro-descendant organizations.
Support the assessment of project's implementing agency, as well as liaise with UN agencies (including IOM, UNHCR, UNDP, UN Women, and UNICEF), regional development banks (IDB, BCEI, and CAF), and other international development partners, to foster operational partnerships that enhance project delivery and avoid duplication of efforts.
Support fundraising, resource mobilization, and grant-writing efforts to expand the WBG's portfolio on migration and forced displacement in Honduras, building on the Vuelve y Crece experience and lessons learned.
Cross-cutting Responsibilities
Participate in project mission when requested, including carrying out the preparation, coordination, and scheduling of mission agendas, coordination of meetings with government counterparts and implementing partners, drafting mission announcement letters and aide-memoires, and follow-up on agreed actions.
Coordinate and facilitate project meetings, workshops, and stakeholder events, ensuring effective communication and collaboration among all parties involved in project implementation.
Take all necessary precautions to protect the privacy, confidentiality, dignity, and safety of beneficiaries and participants in World Bank-supported activities, particularly women and other persons in vulnerable situations, including obtaining informed consent and ensuring compliance with the World Bank's Personal Data Protection Policy at all times.
Prepare monthly and quarterly progress reports tracking implementation status, including key outputs, risks, and next steps for review by the task team.
Support the preparation of Implementation Status and Results Reports (ISRs) and project briefings as required.
Prepare technical inputs for internal and external communications, including briefs, operational updates, and knowledge products that document project results and contribute to the broader evidence base on returnee reintegration.
Carry out any other tasks requested by the Task Team Leader as they relate to the consultancy's scope.
Deliverables
The following deliverables are expected over the course of the nine-month engagement. All outputs are subject to ...